Betting Line:Bettors looking to back visiting Iona before tip-off in this one will find them as 8.5-point favorites.

Power Rankings / Prediction:It's a betting matchup between the No. 261-rated Pride and the No. 172-ranked Gaels, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 83-75 result in favor of the Gaels.

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How They Match Up:Offensively, the game matches up Hofstra's No. 201 nationally ranked offense (67.2 points per game) against a Gaels defense that sits as the No. 322 at 76.7 PPG. The Pride have been averaging 42.7% from the field, less than the Gaels have managed so far this season (50.9% on average).

Defensively, Iona features the nation's No. 146-rated defense on the road, allowing 69.8 points per game. Hofstra, meanwhile, comes in at No. 220 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for Iona, they were an 83-65 winner as they battled William & Mary on the road. They covered in the match as a 17.5-point favorite. Iona earned an 83-65 victory over William & Mary on Wednesday, getting 20 points from Lamont Jones at Kaplan Arena.

Hofstra was an 82-59 winner in its last match at home against Colgate. The Pride blew out Colgate on Thursday, running up a 20+ point victory in an 82-59 win at Hofstra Arena.

Iona Gaels Trends:When playing on Thursday are 4-6Before playing Siena are 8-2After playing William & Mary are 0-1After a win are 8-2

Hofstra Pride Trends:When playing on Thursday are 6-4Before playing Virginia Commonwealth are 7-3After playing Colgate are 2-0After a win are 5-5

A few Gaels at Pride trends to consider:Iona is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games on the roadHofstra is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at homeHofstra is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

Next up:Iona home to Siena, Tuesday, January 3Hofstra home to Virginia Commonwealth, Monday, January 2

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